


hide your feathers

by hindsight



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Genderswap, Rule 63, Wingfic, Zayngel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-29 07:08:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3886978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hindsight/pseuds/hindsight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall’s fingers barely touch Zayn’s wings, and she says, “These are beautiful,” as Zayn passes. It stops Zayn in her tracks, Niall’s fingertips on her wings shooting sparks through her, her stomach flipping over like it hasn’t in she doesn't know how long.<br/> </p><p>Or, Zayngel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	hide your feathers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flower_crown](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flower_crown/gifts).



> Written for ziamisthebestway and the prompt: “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Zayn is an Angel. Niall is one of the performers, they get along, they kiss, they have sex. Zayn and Niall are girls.” I couldn’t get past the _Zayn is an Angel_ line, so your prompt is sort of the premise to the story I’ve ended up writing. In my head this story was way more epic, but I hope I did it some justice and that you like it!! 
> 
> Thank you so, so much to my wonderful group of people for all their encouragement, cheerleading and proofreading: Tanni for kicking my butt and being my writing buddy; Lucy and Katie for helping me figure out this story and especially the ending, for improving this tons/whipping it into shape for me; and last not least Shannon for looking it over last minute when I needed a britpicker. Without you, this story wouldn’t exist. And of course, a huge thanks to the mods for putting zaynmas 2k15 together in the first place.
> 
> Title taken from Feathers by Coheed and Cambria.

The first time Zayn sees Niall is at one of her fashion shows. 

It’s the usual hustle before a show, people around her rushing from point A to point B, making sure all of the models are where they’re supposed to be, wearing what they’re supposed to wear, looking how they’re supposed to look. 

Voices blend together into a cacophony in Zayn’s head. It’s overwhelming, so she closes her eyes, focuses on taking deep, calming breaths. Tries to stay calm, cool and collected for her big entrance. The chaos around her is sometimes dizzying, women walking past Zayn in their lace underwear, wings wrapped around their shoulders, fake feathers whirling through the air around her. She rolls her shoulders, stands upright, feels the presence of her wings as they spread out, twitch a little. It always makes a slight blush appear on the apples of her cheeks; it feels good and exciting. 

Victoria’s Secret shows are different from other fashion shows, with an artist performing on stage while the models walk the runway. Zayn saw the musician for this night’s show in a corner, getting done up and equipped with cables and in-ears and a microphone. She doesn’t recognise her, but she overhears one of the other models say that her name is Niall and she’s an up-and-coming singer from Ireland. She’s beautiful, her face open and eyes bright, warm blonde hair just barely covering her collarbones like a silky curtain. Her smile is disarming, aimed at everyone who chooses to look her way. She’s got an acoustic guitar slung around her tiny chest and she’s wearing a tight black dress clinging to her athletic body. 

Zayn next sees Niall when she walks by her on the way to the stage to start the show. Niall’s fingers barely touch Zayn’s wings, and she says, “These are beautiful,” as Zayn passes. It stops Zayn in her tracks, Niall’s fingertips on her wings shooting sparks through her, her stomach flipping over like it hasn’t in she doesn’t know how long. People touch Zayn’s wings all the time at work - it goes along with being a Victoria’s Secret angel. But people don’t ever expect them to be real, or notice that they are - and she usually doesn’t feel anything when they touch them. it’s more like accidentally brushing arms with strangers, or shaking hands; she notices it, but there’s no emotion. With Niall, it’s different.

 

The night ends with them leaving the afterparty together, stumbling into a taxi that takes them to Zayn’s. They make it to Zayn’s room, with her pressed up against the bedroom door and Niall’s lips pressed against her collarbone. Sliding her tongue down her neck, lower, until Zayn is shivering above her, looking down at Niall. Panting and gasping and coming apart under the feel of her tongue.

;

A thrumming headache wakes Zayn up and keeps her tied to the bed. 

Intuitively, she notices there’s no one in the bed next to her, and breathes a sigh of relief. Zayn might be good at one night stands, but that doesn’t mean she’s good at the morning after. She doesn’t need the pressure of worrying about what to make for breakfast, or if she even _wants_ them to stay for breakfast, or how to keep up the small talk. She prefers it this way. For a moment, she thinks about getting up to check if the door is locked, but her head throbs so heavily that she falls back onto the bed. Louis will be there and probably do it, she tells herself. So she rolls onto her side and falls back asleep. 

When she wakes up the second time around, her stomach rumbles with a wave of nausea that overcomes her. With unsteady feet, she stumbles to the bathroom and barely makes it before she throws up. Twenty minutes later, feeling slightly less awful, she walks back to her bed with a glass of water and a pair of bruised knees. Zayn takes a huge gulp from the glass and settles back in underneath her blankets. With closed eyes, she tries to even out her breathing and relax, but her chest feels tight and it takes forever for her to fall back asleep.

The third time she wakes up is not of her own accord - it’s because Louis pounds on her door, shouting, “Zayn? You there?”

Zayn lets out a low groan, just loud enough that Louis can still hear it on the other side of the door. 

He’s persistent, though. “I hope you’re still alive, because I brought you food,” says Louis. “I heard you, Zayn. I know you’re there, so come out already. I’ve brought you your favourite.”

Rolling to her side, she glances at the clock on the bedside table. It reads 3:24 pm. 

Letting out a deep sigh, she thinks _fine_. 

“Look who’s here,” Louis says when Zayn walks into the kitchen. he’s pouring himself a glass of orange juice. “Who did _you_ pull last night, then?” he asks with a smug grin and Zayn wants to wipe it off his face. Instead she walks over, snatches the glass off him and drinks his juice in one go. 

She slams it on the counter when she’s done and grins back at him, “A lady never tells.”

;

Niall walks through the living room and flops down on the battered sofa that has seen better days (once upon a time, Zayn is sure of it. At least that’s what Louis assured her on the day he brought it into their shared flat). Zayn is barefoot and wearing only an old, threadbare vest that she threw on when she stumbled out of bed and to the door just moments earlier. She rubs the sleep out of her eyes with the heel of her hand, suppressing a yawn while trying to think of something to say. 

“So this is where you live, huh,” Niall says and wiggles out of her jacket. 

“Uh, yeah,” Zayn mumbles. “You’ve been here before.”

“I have,” Niall nods her head in agreement. “Didn’t stay that long though, did I?” Her cheeky smile feels like challenge to Zayn. 

“No.” She suddenly feels somewhat lost standing in her own flat. Exposed even, goosebumps creeping up her thighs. Her hair a complete mess. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, we didn’t exchange numbers the other night, and I didn’t know how else to get in touch with a supermodel. Figured I had to come back to yours and ask you for it.”

“Huh.” Zayn still feels a bit foggy, her brain a tad sluggish. “You’re here to ask for my number?”

“Yep. And, you know, maybe we could go get breakfast together or something?” Niall’s smile turns a bit more bashful.

Zayn’s stomach grumbles in response.

“Yeah, I ’spose I could eat something. Let me just put on some clothes and we, uh. Yeah, then we can go?” Zayn says, fumbling with the hem of her shirt.

“Cool,” Niall says. 

“Cool,” Zayn echoes and turns on her heel, padding into her bedroom to get changed.

 

“You’ve never tried baked beans before?” Niall asks her with a full mouth. She chews for a moment, looking at Zayn with huge eyes, incredulously, then takes a sip of her orange juice. Niall shakes her head, smiling. “I can’t believe this. you’re shitting me.”

Zayn holds her hands up in defeat when Niall points at her with her fork, “Nope. Never had them.” She ducks her head to take another bite off her waffle. “Just not a fan of beans, you know.”

“Uh-huh. What else do I need to know about you, then?” Niall asks around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “Tell me about all the food you don’t like.”

“Well, there’s beans, and also pork. I don’t eat that.” 

She lists more foods she doesn’t like while Niall keeps eating. Zayn watches Niall closely, noticing the way a few loose strands of hair fall into her eyes when she ducks down to take a bite now and then, the way her her nose flares the tiniest bit when she laughs with a closed mouth and how much more bright and vibrant her eyes look when the sun catches in them just the right amount. Niall is paying attention to Zayn as well, which makes her a little fidgety. 

“Also I like, _hate_ cucumbers.”

Niall gives a small nod, “All of ’em? Even gherkins?”

“Any kind,” she replies. 

“Alright. Got it all filed away now. You don’t have to worry that I’ll ever give you anything you don’t like. I’m very considerate like that. One of my strengths.” The crinkles around Niall’s eyes deepen when she says it, and Zayn can’t quite ignore the way her stomach flutters.

“Got any other strengths that I should know about, then?” Zayn asks.

;

There’s something about waiting in an airport that Zayn has always enjoyed. Definitely more than the actual flying part. She used to be afraid of flying; the thought of being so high up in the sky made her feel uncomfortable. 

One time, when she was five years old, she’d stood in her family’s garden, climbed up a ladder, spread out her wings and tried to fly. At that time, she didn’t know that she couldn’t use her wings to fly, that they wouldn’t support her weight, and she learned it the hard way. She’d ended up in the hospital with a broken leg and bruised ribs. After that, her parents had sat her down and explained to her that her wings weren’t meant for flying, and they weren’t meant to be shown to everyone either, and it took her a few more years and experiences to understand why.

Being a model meant that she had to get used to flying in planes a lot, though, and she’s come to terms with it. The first time she flew was from London to Paris for a job. Now she has her own little routine that makes it less daunting and stressful for her. She loves watching the people around her and guessing their life stories. Where are they going, why are they going, are they on their own. It distracts her and makes the time go by faster.

She’s watching an elderly couple sitting opposite her when her pocket starts buzzing. Fumbling for her phone, she squints at the screen to see the preview of a text and picture from Niall. 

Niall is making a face at the camera, her tongue out, wearing a pair of pink sparkly wings. The text attached to it reads, _not a model, but I look alright eh? thought this could be the perfect gift for my nephew what do ya say?_

Zayn smiles so hard at her phone that her cheeks start to hurt, trying to think of a suitable response. All she can think about how cute Niall is, or how beautiful she’d be with a pair of wings, or how her tongue is magic. Shivers run through Zayn’s body at the memory of the flick of Niall’s tongue and she shakes her head, trying to focus. She’s in a public place, in the middle of the day, and Niall just asked her for an opinion; there’s no way she’s going to sext her now. 

She types out, _‘alright’ is probably the understatement of the century :) i like it maybe you should keep them for yourself though x_ and takes a minute to re-read her message before she takes a breath and hits send. 

;

Thursday nights are grooming nights for Zayn. It’s become a routine now, and she usually looks forward to it. She doesn’t remember when or how it became a Thing she does, but having a time when Louis was out of the flat at football practice was definitely convenient.

Louis had caught her once, and that’s how he found out about her wings. It could have gone badly, she supposes, but it didn’t. He came home unexpectedly early and she didn’t hear him. She hadn’t bothered closing the bathroom door and that’s how he ended up standing in the doorway, mouth agape while Zayn cleaned her feathers. It was a deer-in-headlights moment for both of them, but she sat down and talked to him. In the end, it brought them closer together.

Grooming is a private and intimate thing, so she prefers to do it without any interruptions. When she was a child, her mother used to help her out and show her how to do it properly, but as she grew older it became a thing for her to do on her own. 

When she’s done, she stands there entirely naked with her wings spread out and inspects herself in the mirror. They’re dark, with shades of blue and green in them, and a little iridescent shimmer depending on how the light falls, or what mood she’s in. She flaps them slightly and watches how they change. When she’s working they’re usually dark and matte, so they appear plain black. 

Zayn likes the way she looks when her wings loom over her head; it gives her a sense of safety and ease. She twirls around once while watching herself before she folds them back in, and the wings disappear slowly, turning translucent until they’re not visible anymore.

;

“I can’t believe you’re going to that match with her,” Louis shakes his head in disbelief, leaning in her doorway with a bottle of beer in hand. “Actually, can’t believe you’re going to that game at all. You hate rugby. You hate sports. You’ve never wanted to go with me, anyway.”

“Shut up, Lou. Already told you I’m not crazy about seeing the game. It’s a date and she picked the place, that’s all.” 

Zayn rummages around in her makeup stash, looking for the right lip colour to match with her blouse. “By the way, I always come to your games, so you don’t get to mope.”

“Yeah, well, that’s one of your best friend duties. It doesn’t count,” Louis argues. “I’m just saying, she must be pretty damn special if you’re going there with her.”

Zayn is in a rush and definitely not in the mood to discuss her feelings with Louis right now. He has a talent of picking the most inconvenient times to do this. Her hands tremble a little while she’s browsing through a sea of concealers, eyeliners and lip glosses; she should honestly take the time to organise her makeup one day. 

“Ugh, will you shut up already. Better yet, make yourself useful and like, help me find that lipstick I’m looking for.” She makes a face at Louis when she passes him, giving him a friendly slap on the arm.

“Yeah, ’cause I can read your mind and know exactly what you’re looking for,” he yells after her.

Sometimes, living with a lad truly has its drawbacks. In the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, she finally finds what she was looking for. 

The doorbell rings when Zayn starts applying her lipstick.

“Got it,” she hears Louis yelling from the other room. She hopes he’ll get along well with Niall, needs them to. Even though Zayn hasn’t spent that much time with Niall yet herself, she knows it’s different with her. It feels like something that could last, and she wants it to work out so badly that she can’t shake that nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

 

Zayn will admit that she has spent more time watching Niall out of the corner of her eye than actually paying attention to the game going on in front of them. Every now and then, they’ll both make a grab for the bag of crisps that Niall snuck in, and it’s ridiculously cliché, but they giggle every time their hands brush together. doesn’t help that every time it happens, Zayn gets the urge to just reach out and take Niall’s hand. It’s silly, because they’ve already had sex, but it’s been casual so far and this is their first proper date. It all still feels so new that Zayn’s not sure what to do. 

Niall bends over to grab her cup of beer and takes a huge draught of it. 

“So, Louis,” Niall says when she’s swallowed. She has an adorable little beer mustache on her upper lip and Zayn wants to lick it off of her. She doesn’t. 

“He seems like a fun guy.” Niall licks the foam off with one swift move of her tongue. It looks smooth and so pink, Zayn’s trying really hard to focus on their conversation. 

“Yes, yeah he is,” she nods. “I think you guys would get along really well, since you’re both into like, sports and all that.”

“Oh, really?” Niall laughs. “Are you saying I should have come here with him instead?”

“Fuck, no,” Zayn says. “That’s not what I meant, like. It would be great if you guys got along, that’s all. Would mean a lot to me.”

“Why?” Niall’s blue eyes are piercing.

“Because he’s my best friend.”

“You don’t secretly fancy him or anything, do ya?” Niall asks and her voice is unusually calm. It makes Zayn’s heart beat a little harder.

“Nah, we just live together.” Zayn chuckles. The thought of her and Louis, it’s too absurd. “He’s more like family, really. Like, we’re some sort of domestic life partners, I s’pose you could say,” she grins at Niall, reassuringly.

“Right, right.” Niall nods. She leans into her, voice almost a whisper and much lighter now. “You don’t like cucumbers, you’ve told me.”

Zayn laughs, loud and bright, and Niall joins in almost immediately.

 

“You know, you could have just told me you don’t like rugby when I suggested coming here. We could have done whatever.” Niall says as they’re walking out of the stadium, side by side. They’re close enough that their arms are brushing against each other occasionally. Zayn leans a bit into it. 

“Nah, it’s fine, I don’t mind.” Zayn says. “Actually, it was fun to see you like this,” she gestures around with her hands, “in this surrounding.”

“Yeah? You like this part of me, then?” Niall asks, bold grin on her face. 

“I do. I like all the parts of you,” Zayn shrugs. It should feel huge, like a confession, but it’s not. It rolls off her tongue as easy as anything. That’s what being with Niall is, easy, and it’s what she loves about it.

 

Outside, it’s busy with people leaving and rushing into all kinds of directions so she and Niall just keep walking a tad off to the side while Zayn’s having a smoke. 

“So tell me, why does a supermodel need a flatmate anyway?” asks Niall.

“Oh, well. I moved to London to work as a model and a mutual friend sort of like, made it happen? He gave me Louis’ number, I phoned him, we met, and we moved in together. Saved all the money I made to buy a house for my family up in Bradford.” She takes a deep drag off her cigarette.

“Wow, that’s awesome, you bought them a house?” Niall smiles at her. “That’s really cool. I’d love to be able to make my family’s dreams come true one day.”

“It’s pretty fulfilling. Giving back, you know? I’m so grateful I can do that now.” Zayn takes one last drag and flicks the cigarette butt to the ground, puts it out with the tip of her boot.

She’s caught off guard when Niall leans in and goes for a massive hug. Niall holds Zayn pressed tightly to her chest in an intimate embrace, her face between Zayn’s neck and shoulder and her hands wrapped around her, rubbing Zayn’s back. The comforting feeling of Niall’s hands smoothing along her back makes her vibrate with want, the need to feel Niall touch her wings again. 

She doesn’t realise she’s shivering until Niall asks her, “Are you cold?”, and starts to rub her back with more intent, gentle but determined, hoping to warm Zayn up. She breathes in deeply, trying to suppress the overwhelming urge to unfurl her wings right then and there, whispers, “’M fine. Just tired.”

“Alright, let’s get you to bed then.” Niall pulls back a little to grin at Zayn. Her face is so close to Zayn’s own that she can see the moonlight reflecting in her eyes. 

;

Zayn’s chest is heaving as she’s struggling to catch her breath. Next to her, Niall gasps as well, her skin glistening with sweat. Turning her head back to the ceiling, Zayn closes her eyes, and feels a laugh bubbling up in her belly, chasing the tingles of her orgasm away, washing over her whole body. 

She needs a moment to come down, and feels Niall’s hand intertwining with hers. 

Beside her, Niall giggles. “You know that you’re too adorable when you laugh after sex?”

“Yeah?” Zayn asks and turns her head to look at Niall. “Glad you think so.”

“I do,” she smiles back. “So, hey, I was wondering. Where do you hide your wings?” Niall asks, waggling her eyebrows at Zayn. 

Zayn’s heart skips a beat, and her stomach twists and turns, feeling like a stirred up swarm of bees inside her. She pulls her hand back and rolls over to the side, so she’s facing Niall. “I-- don’t know what you’re talking about, really.”

Her comeback is weak, voice cracking. 

“Come on,” Niall ushers, “they have to be somewhere, right? Don’t you ever put them on for fun?”

“Oh,” Zayn exhales, relief running through her entire body. She rolls back onto her back. “You mean those. The wings, yeah, no we don’t get to keep them, actually.”

“What else would I be talking about,” Niall laughs. “Would be great though, wouldn’t it? They did look amazing on you.”

Zayn’s fingers are twitchy and sweaty, reaching for the sheets to grab them. She keeps her hands fisted in the soft fabric and manages a “Thank you“. It’s more mumbled than spoken and she has to look away for a moment, can’t stand to look into Niall’s eyes, knowing that there is something she desperately wants to share, but can’t just yet. 

She stands up, shuffles over to her stereo and turns it on to break the silence. Quiet music fills the room between them and she turns around to smile at Niall. 

Zayn is just standing there, completely stripped and vulnerable, without anywhere to hide. It’s one thing to show people her body in a work environment, like for a photoshoot or fashion show, but it’s a whole other thing to do it in front of someone she has feelings for. It’s been awhile since she’s felt that comfortable around anyone she’s been with.

“So,” she says, “Did you ever buy that little sparkly pair? Maybe you should try wearing them for a change. Looked good on you, too, you know.”

Niall runs a hand through her hair, cheeks still a deep, rich pink. “Thanks, babe.” She props herself up on her elbows. “I didn’t buy them for myself, though. Maybe I should. I would wear them for you.”

She then crawls up to Zayn, head slightly bowed and looking up at her with her bright eyes. “And you could maybe wear yours for me sometime? Borrow a pair from work? What do you say, hm?” She pokes her index finger into the soft flesh of Zayn’s underbelly, sitting up on her knees.

Zayn takes a step forward and Niall’s hands find a way around Zayn’s waist, pulling her in. 

Niall’s head is just tucked under Zayn’s, face comfortably pressed into her chest. Her hair tickles at Zayn’s mouth. they’re both still a bit sticky, but Niall smells like warmth and citrus and _home_. Zayn breathes in deeply. 

“Maybe,” she whispers while her arms close around Niall’s shoulders, holding her tight.

;

“What are you doing next week?” Niall asks, shoveling some fried rice into her mouth.

They’re both sitting cross-legged on the floor of Zayn’s living room, food containers and paper napkins spread between them, the telly muted, showing reruns of The Great British Bake Off in the background. 

“Uh, I’ve got this job in France. It’s like, an editorial photoshoot. Was thinking I could stay a few days longer, go to the beach maybe.” Zayn says and pokes at her chicken curry. 

“Yeah?” Niall sounds genuinely excited. “I’ve been dreaming of the beach forever. Sounds amazing, just hanging out, not having to think about work or anything.”

“Huh,” Zayn huffs out. “Well, if you want, if you can take off work, maybe you could come with me, and, I don’t know, we could go to Nice for a couple of days?” 

Niall nods. “Yeah, why not? Let me just check my schedule.” She puts the food container to the ground and fishes her phone out of her pocket. The light of her phone illuminates her face in the half-dark, and Zayn watches her face closely. Her lips look so soft and kissable, definitely inviting. 

She puts her own food to the side and crawls towards Niall. 

“I’ve got a meeting with my publicist next week but I can totally reschedule that if I have to. When are we leaving?” She finally looks up from her phone and Zayn’s right there, in her space, to lick along the seam of her upper lip. 

“Hmm,” Zayn breathes, pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of Niall’s mouth. “We’ll have to check my ticket.” Another kiss. “Then we can book you one.”

A loud clunk is the only warning Zayn gets before Niall lunges forward and kisses her back with a firmness that feels like something more, something bigger.

For a split second, she hears Louis in the back of her head, telling her not to spill any food on their carpet, the one she’s lying on now, with Niall atop of her. He was being a little shit when he said that to her, though, because Louis is definitely the messiest person Zayn has ever known and lived with. The voice disappears though as soon as she feels Niall’s hand flitting under her shirt, roaming up her ribs to find her breast.

She whimpers softly, hand entangled in Niall’s hair, pulling her closer.

;

Zayn’s feet hurt from walking around Nice all day. Niall had insisted on doing some sightseeing. “Don’t you want to see some of the culture, too?” She had asked Zayn, “So much amazing architecture and art to check out. You don’t want to pass up that opportunity.”

Zayn had caved, because who is she to argue. After all, Niall was right, and she was glad they went to museums and got to catch a glimpse of the day-to-day life of people living on the Mediterranean coast. Still, it felt even better to take her shoes off and massage her feet at the end of a long day. 

Fingers digging into the ball of her foot, she lets out a low moan. “Ugh, so good. I’m not doing anything that counts as culturally valuable tomorrow, like. I’m just going to go to the beach and do absolutely nothing.”

Niall laughs from the other end of the room, where she’s already slipping into something more comfortable herself. A pair of worn trackies and a baggy t-shirt, her hair tied into a messy bun. She’s walking over to the bed where Zayn’s sitting. “Nothing but relaxing and swimming. Count me in.”

She flops down on the bed next to Zayn and presses a warm, soft kiss to the side of her head. 

“Was nice though, right? Taking some time to see where you are?” 

Zayn nods and hums. 

“Come on, let me,” Niall’s hands cover Zayn’s, carefully pull them off her foot. “You lie down, I’ll make you feel good. Deal?”

Zayn blinks slowly at Niall. 

“Pinch me,” she says, and holds out her arm right in front of Niall’s chest. 

“Fuck off, I’m real,” Niall laughs and gives Zayn a playful shove. “Better get used to it.”

“I could,” she sighs and collapses onto the mattress. “I definitely could.”

The smile on her face stays until she falls asleep that night.

;

They’re sharing a beach towel, Niall sitting in front of Zayn while she’s helping her to put sun block on her back. 

Zayn whistles as she’s smoothly rubbing it onto Niall’s shoulders. “You’re so pale.”

“Yep, it’s in my Irish genes, what can I say.” Niall tilts her head back to get at Zayn’s neck. She presses a wet, lingering kiss there. “We do make a pretty couple, though, don’t we?”

She holds up her arm next to Zayn’s darker one, and the stark contrast is powerful, even through the tinted glasses of her sunglasses. Zayn can’t argue that it’s beautiful.

“Alright, my turn now,” she says suddenly, patting Niall’s shoulder. 

She turns around with her back to Niall, gathers her hair with both hands and holds it up to make room for Niall to rub her back. 

The tube makes an undignified squirting noise, and then she feels the cool cream touching her back, Niall’s hands wiping it over her shoulder blades in slow, small circles. 

Closing her eyes, Zayn focuses on the sound of the waves crashing behind them, and the feel of Niall’s hand massaging her back. A warm, content feeling settles deep in her belly. 

Niall’s hands keep coming back to her shoulder blades, skimming over the sensitive skin there and making it hard for Zayn to concentrate. If she was to do what she felt like, she’d unfurl her wings right then and there, spread them wide and shake them to tame the itch just beneath her skin. 

“So warm,” Niall leans forward and whispers into her ear. “Your skin, it’s so warm right here.”

She traces her fingertips along the length of Zayn’s back, just where her wings are hidden. It tickles and tingles, making Zayn’s blood rush. 

When Niall pulls away again, her hands stop moving completely. 

“Hey, what’s that?” she asks, and Zayn’s pulse quickens and she lets go of her hair, lets it fall over her shoulders. 

She turns her head around, “What’s what?”

Niall shakes her head, looking utterly confused. “I, just. Your back, it just looked like it shimmered blue and green, all of a sudden.”

She looks at Zayn, shakes her head again. “I don’t know, that sounds crazy. It-- I’m sure it was nothing,” she smiles a bit warily. 

“Yeah,” Zayn tries to sound firm despite the lump in her throat. “Probably just some shadow. Maybe we should head back soon, yeah?”

“Of course, yeah. don’t want to risk getting sunstroke,” Niall agrees. 

;

Zayn’s heart hasn’t slowed down since the incident on the beach. Niall must have noticed because she took her hand and held on to it the whole way back, rubbing her thumb along Zayn’s fingers in a soothing way. 

They haven’t talked either, Zayn was too tense and caught up in her own thoughts, trying to find the words to say what she needs to say to Niall. 

Now they’re back, and Zayn goes straight to the bed, sits down on the edge. She takes a deep breath before she pulls off her shirt and takes off the bikini top with trembling hands. Her pulse is racing, and her skin feels too hot and overstretched at the back. 

“Do you want to be by yourself?” Niall asks quietly, yet her voice is so loud and clear in Zayn’s ears because it’s the only noise in the room. “I can check out the swimming pool or something if you want to take a nap. Or, I don’t know, just whatever you need to do.”

The sound of Niall’s voice and the look on her face makes Zayn’s heart heavy, a sinking feeling in her chest. She can’t keep it a secret anymore, has to share this with Niall. 

“No,” she says. “No, actually there’s-- there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Zayn stands up from the bed and takes a step towards Niall. She wipes her sweaty palms on the seam of her shorts. “Or, more like. Something I need to show you.”

“Okay,” Niall says, slow and drawing out the word, like she’s waiting for something awful to happen next.

“Remember when you, uh. When you saw something on my back earlier?” Zayn takes a step forward. Niall nods.

“So, the thing is. You did actually see something. There was something there, but like. Hidden, you know.” She looks at Niall and her confused expression makes Zayn feel like she’s losing her voice. 

“I don’t know how to say it, so. I’m gonna show you, okay?”

“Zayn, you’re scaring me. What is it?” Niall all but whispers. 

“Okay, please don’t freak out. Don’t. Let me just show you and I can explain it to you,” Zayn says as calm as she can. “Do you promise?”

Waiting for a sign of approval from Niall, she rolls her shoulders once, twice, to try to get the tension out. 

“Yeah,” Niall breathes. 

With that, Zayn spins around on her heels, facing the window with her back turned towards Niall. The tingling in her shoulder blades is amplified right before she closes her eyes and begins to unfurl her wings. Slowly, she spreads them out, feather by feather, stretches them as far as they go.

When they’re spread out, spanning from one shoulder to the other, just high enough to reach up to her head, they twitch and Zayn is so nervous she can feel her heart knocking wildly in her chest.

“Christ, they’re real.”

Zayn breathes out slowly. Her heartbeat is louder than Niall’s voice.

“Your wings, they’re feckin’ real. I can’t-- I knew I saw something.” Niall’s still whispering, and talking too fast for Zayn to keep up with her. “I can’t believe this, bloody hell. Can I,” she falls silent and Zayn hears the soft padding of her feet on the floor coming closer. “Can I touch them?”

Zayn looks over her shoulder, needs to see Niall’s face so desperately, needs something to hold on to.

“You’re okay with this?” she asks.

“I. Yeah, of course I am.” Niall sounds almost surprised Zayn might doubt her. 

She spins around and takes one of Niall’s hands into her own, pulling her in closer. “Go on, then.” She nods.

It’s just like Zayn remembers, when Niall touched them for the first time in passing, only more intense. When Niall’s hands skim over her feathers, she gets tingles. She feels them behind her ears, going down to her neck and through her entire spine. Zayn moans quietly, and her eyes flutter shut when Niall becomes more courageous and touches them more firmly. She pushes her fingers between the feathers and explores them one by one. By the time Zayn opens her eyes again and looks at Niall, she can see how completely in awe she is. 

“Wow,” she breathes and her eyes keep varying between looking at Zayn and her wings. “They’re beautiful, Zayn. It looks like they’re glowing.” The warm smile Niall gives her makes Zayn weak in the knees, and she has to hold on to her hand, pressing in closer. Niall’s face is right there then, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. “I like the green. It’s like you’ve got a little piece of me in you.”

Her smile is so bright that it reaches her eyes and she wrinkles her nose. In that moment, Zayn is so endeared and overwhelmed that she leans in to kiss Niall properly. She lets go of Niall’s hand and brings her arm up around Niall’s waist, pulls her in. She kisses her gently, and Niall kisses her back patiently. The swirls of her tongue are lazy, dragging across Zayn’s lips and tongue like slow-dribbling honey, no less sweet. 

A thrill of excitement runs through Zayn’s body when Niall starts to move her hand again, still buried in her wings. She gasps into Niall’s mouth and her hand moves further down to grab Niall’s bum, squeezes it once. Niall groans, but the sound is swallowed up by Zayn’s mouth. 

“Shite,” Niall suddenly says against Zayn’s lips and draws back. Her mouth looks utterly kissed, lips wet and plush and a bold shade of pink. “I totally forgot,” it bubbles right out of her as though she’d been holding it back for too long. “I’ve got a surprise for you, too. Oh my god I seriously totally forgot about it, it’s--” Niall goes on while she’s crouching on the floor, looking for something in her suitcase. 

Zayn’s still stood in the middle of the room, breathing heavily and trying her best not to tumble over. Niall’s kisses have that effect on her, and her brain still hasn’t caught up with the fact that she’s shown Niall her wings. That she’s standing in their hotel room in only her shorts, with her wings unfurled. 

“We were just getting started! What could possibly be better than making out right now?” she demands of Niall, looking down at her. 

“No, believe me, it’s good. It’ll be great. You’ll _love_ it, I promise.” Niall just smirks back at her. “Now close your eyes, you can’t see this.”

“Alright,” Zayn caves in. “I’ll just be over here.” She walks over to the bed. 

“Eyes closed?” asks Niall. 

“Fine, yeah,” she says, closing her eyes.

“I’ll be quick, be back in a minute,” she hears Niall grab something out of her suitcase and walk over to the bathroom. When she hears the door being closed, Zayn opens her eyes and gets comfortable on the bed. 

She takes off her shorts and lies on her side, head propped up on one elbow. This way she can keep her wings out, without it being uncomfortable.

A few moments later, the door to the bathroom opens up again and Niall steps out, walking slowly towards the bed. 

Zayn swallows and takes in the sight of her: Niall’s wearing pink lingerie and thigh high stockings, a white suspender belt covering up her belly button. It’s see-through mostly, made of delicate lace. Her boobs are small and perky, and as Niall steps closer into view Zayn can see her nipples through the sheer fabric of her bra. She’s wearing that pair of pink, sparkly wings too, and she looks absolutely stunning. Niall’s biting her lip and grinning at Zayn, rather bashful. 

“So, do you like it?” She stops in front of the bed and cocks her hip, one hand resting on it. “I was gonna be your angel tonight.”

“You’re gorgeous,” says Zayn. She’s so charmed and aroused by Niall, it’s making it really hard to think straight. “If you’re my angel, does that mean that like, since you’re mine, I get to do whatever I want to you? ’Cause there’s a lot I want to do right now.”

“Do? Like what?” Niall asks, one eyebrow raised. 

Zayn pulls herself up and shifts closer to the edge of the bed. She sits and holds out her hands to drag Niall in by her hips. Her cream-coloured thighs look even paler than they normally would in contrast to the bright pink stockings. Zayn leans forward and presses a kiss just above Niall’s belly button.

“Like, eat you out. While you’re wearing these.” One of her hands roam up Niall’s back to tug at the wings.

Niall’s hands come up around Zayn’s neck then and she puts her knees on the bed, straddling Zayn’s thighs, settling on her lap. She ducks her head to catch Zayn’s mouth in a deep, lingering kiss. 

“Can I ask you something?” Niall asks when she pulls back. Zayn hums, affirmative. 

“Can I touch your wings when you go down on me?” she whispers and Zayn feels one of her hands brush the tip of her wings. She shudders at the touch. The tingling sensation is spreading out all over her body, from her wings to her back, down her spine, to her belly. 

“Fuck yeah,” she whispers back and kisses Niall again. 

;

Later that night, Zayn is lying on her stomach and slowly drifting off to sleep while Niall caresses her wings. It feels nice and soothing, the way her hands graze over the feathers. There’s an overwhelming feeling of relief thrumming through Zayn, allowing her to let go, to sink deeper into the mattress. It makes her wonder why she’d waited so long to tell Niall the truth. he can’t imagine Niall not knowing everything about her, now.

She sighs into the pillow, focussing on the feel of Niall’s fingertips brushing the vanes of her feathers. She reaches out a hand to settle in Niall’s hair, stroking softly at it like Niall’s hands in her wings. 

They fall asleep like this.


End file.
